


The Island

by strange_h3arts



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: 00Silva, Fluff and Angst, Island - Freeform, M/M, Ocean, Romance, pre-China
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 11:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/760979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strange_h3arts/pseuds/strange_h3arts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 1996, and Tiago takes James to his grandmother's island.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Island

“My grandmother planted this tree,” Tiago says absentmindedly as he presses one of its flowers into James’s palm. The petals are soft and linen-white, and they smell like the ocean itself. “When I was ten years old. I helped her dig the hole so she could put it in the ground.”

James smiles as a gust of wind blows the flower out of his hand, sending it fluttering towards the shore. “What was your grandmother like?”

“She was everything to me,” Tiago says, his eyes clouding as he remembers. “My parents died when I was very young, and she was the one who took me in. We came here every summer, just her and me.” He pauses, looking far out to sea. “She was so good to me. I think you would have liked her.”

James traces a line in the sand with his toe, watching Tiago closely. His face is calm, but James can tell that remembering her makes him sad.

“Why didn’t you stay here? I mean, after she died. What made you decide to join MI6?”  James asks as they walk closer to the shoreline, the waves crashing emerald green on the sand.

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt lonely to be here without her,” Tiago replies, letting the tide creep up to touch his bare feet. “I didn’t want to come back until I had someone to share it with again.”

James smiles and looks at Tiago out of the corner of his eye. “So would that be me?”

Tiago chuckles and kicks a spray of water at James’s legs. “What do you think, James?”

“I think....” James drawls, grabbing Tiago’s wrist and pulling him closer to the waves. “I think that we should go for a swim.” 

“But we’re wearing our clothes,” Tiago protests unconvincingly, his lips curving up at the corners.

“Well. I guess we’ll just have to take them off.”

\--

They wade out to a sandbar, the waves shallow and the water cool and clear. James falls behind and watches Tiago swim when the water gets deep, the sun illuminating droplets on his naked skin. He feels lucky.

Soon the ocean floor slopes up again and they’re able to stand on the sand, the water settling around their chests. James swims up behind Tiago and wraps his arms around his midsection, his chest resting comfortably on Tiago’s back.

“Hi.” He presses his chin into the hollow between Tiago’s shoulder blades, suddenly feeling the urge to lick the water beading on his skin. He does, and Tiago laughs.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing. I was thirsty.”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you’re not supposed to drink seawater?” Tiago chuckles, turning around and lacing his fingers together behind James’s neck. James can feel Tiago next to him underwater, warm and so very alive. He presses closer, wanting to feel Tiago’s skin against his own.

“Guess not,” he replies, smiling as Tiago presses back against him.

“I like it here,” James adds as an afterthought, glancing back at the shore a dozen meters away. “I think it’s the best place I’ve ever been.” He’s almost surprised at his own words, but they’re true. He feels like this is home.

“I like it too,” Tiago murmurs, running a hand through James’s damp hair. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t joined MI6. Just stayed here, like you were saying.”

“But then I wouldn’t have met you.”

“That’s why I know I made the right choice,” Tiago smiles, his thumb brushing across James’s lower lip.

“Come off it,” James laughs, bumping Tiago’s shoulder with his fist. “I don’t blame you. Anyone would go a little mad being here all alone.”

“My _abuela_ used to say that madness is like the ocean,” Tiago muses suddenly, cupping water in his palm and then letting it run through his fingers. “You can stay afloat for a while, but eventually the undertow will pull you down.”

“Jesus, Tiago.”

“What? Everyone is a little crazy.”

“Not me.” James smirks and tackles him into the surf, pushing Tiago’s water-soaked locks from his eyes when they come up for air.

“Are _you_ crazy?” he murmurs, leaning in to brush his lips against the corner of Tiago’s mouth. It tastes like salt.

“A bit.” Tiago chuckles and kisses him back, his tanned arms wrapping tight around James’s waist. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Well… I suppose you’ll have to take me under with you.” James rests his forehead against Tiago’s own, noticing how the sky is reflected in his dark eyes. “Would you?”

Tiago smiles, his fingers unconsciously tracing circles on James’s back. “At this point, I don’t think I have a choice.”

\--

That night Tiago decides that they should sleep outside, so they pitch a tent near the shore and stay up for hours by the campfire.

“It’s called sunscreen, James,” Tiago says ruefully as he rubs aloe into James’s lobster-red back. The fire flickers off his skin, deepening his tan to an orange glow.

James laughs and winces as Tiago’s cool fingers ghost over his shoulder. “I’ll remember next time.”

Tiago lingers longer than necessary on his neck, his hands massaging the tense muscles around his spine. “That feels nice,” James murmurs, and Tiago presses a kiss to his shoulderblade. “You should stop, or I’ll be tempted to get sunburned again tomorrow.”

Tiago chuckles and sits down heavily next to James on the piece of driftwood that they’re using as a bench. “Can I ask you something?"

“Mm.”

“What would happen if we just forgot everything? All our obligations, I mean. We could just… stay here. Get another job, in the city. Have nothing to worry about,” Tiago murmurs, his eyes fixed on the stars shining faintly above the waterline.

“You don’t really mean that,” James says after a pause, his voice serious. He looks at Tiago intently, searching his face in hopes of understanding. “You love your job. We both love our jobs.”

Tiago sighs. “I know. It’s just hard sometimes.” He averts his eyes and breaks a bit of bark off the driftwood.

James moves closer to him so that their legs are barely touching, Tiago’s skin warm against his own.

“I know.” He picks up Tiago’s hand in his own and interlaces their fingers. “But I think it’s what we’re meant to do. You and me… it’s all we _can_ do.” He squeezes Tiago’s fingers lightly. “Really, imagine having another job. _Tiago Rodriguez, Sainsbury’s checkout clerk_ \-- still sound good to you?”

Tiago throws his head back and laughs. “No. No, not exactly.”

“Well, there you have it,” James says with a smirk, and pulls Tiago in for a kiss.

They’re reluctant to break apart, and when they do, James has somehow made his way into Tiago’s lap.

“What do you say we turn in for the night?” James says lightly, running his tongue over his swollen lower lip.

“Let’s,” Tiago says, and moves in to kiss him again, but not before the driftwood branch snaps and they both go tumbling into the sand.

“Fuck,” James says breathlessly, and the moment is so ridiculous that they both burst into laughter. It’s a while before they make it into the tent.

\--

It’s in those early hours of the morning when James wakes again, when the sky is just changing from ink to violet and the moon is waning over the ocean. He’s lying in Tiago’s arms, and he doesn’t want to move because he’s still lazy from the sex and Tiago is warm.

But then he shifts a little to the left, and Tiago stirs beneath him. Tiago’s a light sleeper; always has been. Most senior agents are.

“Are you awake?” Tiago murmurs, his voice scratchy with sleep.

“Yes. Go back to sleep.” James presses his face into Tiago’s bare chest, inhaling the smell of soap and ocean air.

“I can’t, now. My dreams were too strange.” Tiago shifts position so that both of their heads are facing on the pillow, his eyes shining in the dark.

“What did you dream about?” James moves closer and entangles a leg in Tiago’s own.

“Mm… I can’t remember now. But I have a question.”

“Okay, what is it?” Tiago’s hair is sticking up on his forehead, and James can’t resist smoothing it out of the way.

“If I die, will you bury me here?” Tiago’s voice is unreadable.

“You’re so morbid. Why are you thinking about that?” James traces the line of Tiago’s jaw with his finger, feeling him swallow as he skims over his throat.

“I don’t know.” Tiago chuckles, leaning into the touch. “Would you, though?”

“Yes. I would,” James replies finally, his fingers now brushing against Tiago’s chest. “But I’m not going to, because you’re not going to die. I forbid it.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Tiago smiles, and pulls him in closer.

They don’t sleep again until dawn.


End file.
